INTERESTING TIMES
(in Spain, Portugal and UK)
Up the Douro
Thursday 30th May, 2019
Friday 31st May, 2019
Saturday 1st June, 2019
Thursday 30th May, 2019
Guimarez Castle
Guimarez Castle
nother cloudless day! Over 30 degrees this afternoon. We left after breakfast for the lovely medieval town of Guimarez. The bus seemed very uncomfortable, I don't quite know why but I was getting a lot of pain under my breast when I thought it was getting better. But both trips, there and back were very painful. Walking, however, was okay - go figure!
Guimarez Convent Courtyard
Guimarez Alley
uimarez is a very pretty town, a hill town crowned by a typical "child's drawing" castle, where Portugal's first king was born, they say, way back when. There was an easy walk down to the town itself, through medieval churchyards, cobbled squares and narrow alleys, none of them crowded like at Sintra.
Guimarez Main Square
Guimarez Street
aving been told all the history (true or false!) we explored the shops and cafes, although being wary about medieval alleys now we had not brought cards or much money. It seemed a pity, really, because the place really invited a little expense of time and money. There was a pastry shop with local delicacies...maybe it was good that we didn't have any cash to spare!
Tile Coated House in Guimarez
evertheless we bought me a new cork money purse which will fit cards, when I get them! and eight little Portuguese cockerels for my Italian class. I must brush up my Italian before I go back and write up the legend in Italian. Also how to say "I fell and broke two ribs", and "my purse was stolen" . Lots of dramatic events to tell.
During our walk we found a house, tiled from head to foot (or roof to street) in different patterns of blue and white tiles. Rather unusual to us, but really far from unique in Portugal.
Finally leaving Porto
hen we returned to the boat we finally unmoored and started off up the river. I had thought the cruise was never going to start. We relaxed on our balcony and watched Porto sliding past. Mac was particularly interested, of course, in the locks and kept the camera at the ready.
Mac on our Balcony
Our First Lock
t about 1515 we encountered the first lock on the Douro. It is enormous, they told us it was 35 metres deep, deeper than the Eckersmuellen on the Main canal which we saw in 2015.
I still felt so painful that I lay on the bed and slept most of the way to our evening mooring, such a waste! I am really beginning to think this tour was doomed from the start, from the initial cancellation last year and now these problems!
On the Sundeck
Mac on the Sundeck
opted out of the evening trip to a winery with a "lovely garden" and since I am running out of painkillers (or pain modifiers) I hope we can find a pharmacy tomorrow. None here, unfortunately.
It has been quite hot today. We went up to the sundeck when the boat sailed but it was too hot to stay there so we came back to our cabin.
We are supposed to have a student performance of singing and dancing after dinner. More later.
Later:
The Douro River
e had a really good dinner in company with a large group who have been with us from the start. There is a couple from Melbourne, named Rosemary and Max, so funny. They are really nice and have offered me some of their stock of painkillers (Max crushed a vertebra not long before we left so has a supply of stuff like panadeine forte). I don't want to deplete it because he may need it but they have given me some Mersynofen (panadol and ibuprofen) which I will try tomorrow.
he singing group from the university was excellent and good fun. There were eight of them and they played traditional instruments like the fado singer's group but sang beautifully harmonised songs, which I enjoyed more, I think.
We have had a lot of wine today - better than Panadol!
Friday 31st May, 2019
Waiting for the lock
In the Deep Lock
e slept late, and, while having breakfast, entered the deepest and highest lock in Europe. The one we saw yesterday was just a foretaste. This one was quite spectacular and we all trooped up to the sundeck to watch. I am glad I didn't have to wind the paddles! Mac took some photos but I didn't have time to get the i-pad from the safe.
Steep Banks on the Douro River
Railway Tunnel on the Douro River
e spent the morning peacefully relaxing on the sundeck, which was breezy but not too hot, thoroughly enjoying the passing scene.
The Douro is much narrower and shallower than the Rhine and the valleys seem to be much more in your face. The hills seem higher and the gorges much more precipitous. A railway line runs beside it and we have seen several trains and tunnels.
Mooring at Regua
efore lunch we arrived at the riverside town of Regua, mooring on the far side of the river from the town itself. The town is old, with twisty streets which we explored later and has many modern and spectacular bridges.
Museum of Douro Ship at Regua
his afternoon after a "light lunch" which included ice cream, we crossed the river to visit the Museum of the Douro, which concentrated mostly on the Port Wine industry.
Port Wine Exhibit at Regua Museum
ur guide was very thorough but, having heard most of it before, she was over-garrulous and boring, to me anyway. I also started to feel the first bad pain of the day, probably from the bus.
When we left we walked up the very steep street to find a pharmacy and showed the young woman with fairly rudimentary English that I wanted some ibuprofen and paracetamol. She sold me some of each to be taken together and hopefully it will last until England.
Many Bridges at Regua
oday has been very hot, 34 degrees in the shade, can't wait to get to England - it's unlikely to be like that there! Tonight we have a Portuguese folkloric show after dinner. Wow. More later.
Later:
he show was fun, infectious music and singing with accordion and guitars, very energetic and enjoyable, culminating in a conga line around the lounge led by the captain. It is still very warm on board, don't know if the aircon is not working or if it is having to work too hard.
Tomorrow they threaten 39 degrees!
Saturday 1st June, 2019
Quinta Pacheca Homestead
oday we visited a port winery. It is only small, 125 hectares, which would not be viable in Australia, but they get about 12,000 litres of wine a year. It is one of the last individual companies only using their own grapes, not a mixture of bought in fruit.
Pacheca Cellars
he Quinta is very beautiful with an old homestead (now used as a boutique hotel) and a fabulous view over the river. They have also made little holiday cabins out of huge wine vats (not ever used) which look like Hobbit holes and are apparently very popular. The grounds are very beautiful, shaded by enormous trees, one of which has been carved into a bottle decorated with grape vines. Very picturesque.
Pacheca Produce
e trooped through the cavernous cellars, seeing the shelves of different products made here, olives, fruits etc, and the large stone cells where grapes are still trodden by foot, we adjourned to the shade of a huge sycamore tree where we had a "picnic". Cold meats, cheeses, little pies and quiches, olives and lovely bread.
Pacheca Sculpture
hey organised a tasting of their red and white table wines and a selection of ports. I quite liked the last one, a sixteen year old tawny port. But in general, I would have thought the climate was too warm in Portugal for drinking port! Probably its warming qualities made it popular in England!
Sailing to Pinhao
ince we had really had the equivalent of lunch we didn't need anything else so we repaired to our cabin for a siesta. The cleaning girls had drawn the blinds and heavy curtains against the expected heat and the aircon was just coping.
Journalling on Board
e had a nap then got up about 1500 for coffee and a biscuit. I took the opportunity to write up the morning's events in my journal. We are supposed to have a cooking demo in the lounge at 1600. When Mac came back from returning the cups he said we seem to have lost a passenger. Paramedics on the dock, an elderly lady in a wheelchair and luggage in the foyer.
Sentinal Pines
e had a demo of how to cook Portuguese custard tarts, a national specialty. We had one to taste and they are absolutely delicious but any recipe which uses twelve egg yolks is too rich for my blood. We got a copy of the recipe though.
Next Lock near Pinhao
fter this we sailed, and cruised through some lovely scenery, then through another large lock on the way to docking in Pinhao.
Here we had an extensive 'BBQ' buffet dinner on the top or sundeck, which was really very pleasant, cool and calm. Several other large river boats are docked here as well.
Moored at Pinhao
ne of the things they never really tell you about these river cruises is that your boat is often double or even triple parked so you have to cross other ships to get on or off your own. This is a problem if you have a lower deck cabin because you never see anything other than the sides of other boats. I am glad we are on the top residential deck.
Rival Cruise Boat at Pinhao
he Portuguese government has declared a Red Alert which is the equivalent of a Total Fire Ban at home, apparently we are having an unseasonable heat wave. The recent industry of planting forests of eucalypts does not help the fire risk.
Tomorrow we head for the Palacio de Mateus, home of our favourite pink wine.
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